Rangers hit Barton with three-week ban

Joey Barton has been suspended by Rangers for three weeks after meeting with manager Mark Warburton, having been told to stay away from the club's training ground after comments he made to his team-mates in the wake of the Old Firm derby defeat.

Joey Barton has been suspended by Rangers for three weeks after meeting with manager Mark Warburton, having been told to stay away from the club's training ground after comments he made to his team-mates in the wake of the Old Firm derby defeat.

Rangers were thrashed 5-1 by Celtic in their first encounter since they gained promotion to the Scottish Premiership, and Barton openly questioned team-mates for their lack of passion and commitment.

His outburst led to a temporary suspension over the weekend, with Barton being left out of Saturday's 0-0 draw with Ross County, and he was pictured leaving the club's training complex after being handed a three-week suspension by the club.

Barton issued a statement on Twitter last week to apologise for his comments and give his side of the story, but he followed that up by giving an unsanctioned interview to Talksport in which he claimed he had nothing to apologise for.

The dispute arose from Barton criticising the players and claiming that Rangers were playing "s*** teams in a s*** league", according to one source.

His team-mates, clearly taking offence to his comments, responded by noting they beat Celtic last season without him and also criticised his performance in the Old Firm derby.